Lasting Tremors
by kaiyamaikagami
Summary: Things are looking up, but not for long. (This is a sequel to Withdrawal Symptoms.) Levi's past is right behind him. Will Eren be able to cope?


I pressed my lips to Eren's forehead gently as his eyes closed. He was near death, but his heart was still beating. There was no way I would let him die when we were this close. I looked up at Petra and Erwin who were, ironically enough, the nurses hovering around us now. Mikasa wasn't here yet, but I was sure she would arrive soon. She always seemed to be able to sense when Eren was in danger.

"Is there any way?" I asked quietly.

For some reason, I felt like I had to speak softly. It's not like the goddamn brat was going to die. That would be out of the question. And if he did, I would follow as soon as he could, and he would feel fucking guilty about it. I was tense. Actually, I was incredibly tense. My hand was still clenched around his. I was probably not helping his circulation. With some effort, I managed to relax my grip.

"There's a possibility..." Petra said slowly.

I knew she didn't want to get my hopes up, but the only thing I cared about then was Eren's life. I didn't give a shit about my own feelings. If there was any hope, I would cling to it.

"The likelihood of success is somewhere around 25 percent. Surgery, I mean. We could try." Erwin had always been more straightforward about things.

"Then try." I hissed.

If there was even a one percent chance, I would have made them do it. Both of them nodded. They must have known how much this meant to me, because something with a success rate of one quarter wouldn't usually be tried. The minutes stretched on. I wondered when they would return.

I watched the monitors desperately as I waited for them to be ready to do the surgery. Each time the line flattened between heartbeats for a little longer than usual, I held my breath. Eren had to survive this. I was determined that this time wouldn't be like last time. For someone with no real means to do anything, I was definitely confident_. Eren is not going to die. Eren is not going to fucking die. _I repeated to myself as if it would help.

Finally, the two nurses returned. They opened the door to the room, and rolled the bed and Eren away. I was left standing alone. The room seemed quiet, too quiet. The only sounds present where the gentle humming of the machines and the distant voices of other nurses and doctors running around. Nearly half an hour later, Mikasa arrived. We didn't talk, but instead sat in mutual silence in the too-quiet room.

Minutes passed. Hours passed. My body was becoming numb from not moving, but it didn't matter. All I wanted was news of the surgery. I felt like I was waiting for my own death sentence. His life was hovering in the balance with only a 25 percent chance of returning. My eyes were unfocused as I stared blankly at the white wall across from me. _Eren is not going to die. Eren is not going to die. Eren is not going to fucking die. _This mantra echoed through my head time and time again.

How long had it been? Two hours. Three? I lost track. The light coming in the small hospital window was slowly dimming. It had been nearly ten hours. I felt like a statue devoid of proper thought or feeling. My whole existence seemed to depend on the outcome, but still no one came into the room. Then the door opened.

"Erwin?" My voice cracked on the question from lack of use.

I hadn't moved a single muscle in ten hours. My body was stiff all over and it hurt even just to move my head to look at Erwin. His usually perfectly combed blonde hair was messy, and his face looked sweaty. The nurse's uniform that was usually pristine was… not. Was that blood? I shuddered almost imperceptibly, because there was no doubt in my mind whose blood that would be.

"He's…" Erwin paused, and I tried to brace myself for the worst.

Mikasa was staring at him too. Her eyes were red from silent crying, but there was a gleam that told me she had never lost hope.

"He's alive."

The sentence hung in the air for a moment, before I could move. It was a miracle. I was never really one to believe in anything religious, but there was nothing else this could be. It was a miracle. Eren was a miracle. I jumped up quickly forgetting that I was stiff from sitting.

"Where is he?"

My voice collided with someone else's, and I realized Mikasa and I had spoken at the same exact time. We exchanged only the quickest of looks before turning back to Erwin.

"He'll be waking up soon. We're putting him in an intensive room. He'll definitely need to be looked after for a while. Also, he may have some paralysis." Even as experienced a nurse as he was, Erwin looked away when he delivered the bad news.

"Come on," said Erwin, beckoning Mikasa and me to follow him.

We hurried after him, footsteps ringing on the shining hospital floor. _ He's alive. He's alive._ This was the new mantra my brain had found, but it was much, much happier than the old one. The journey to Eren's room was short, but by the time we arrived, his eyes were already open. His eyes latched on to mine the moment I stepped through the doorway. I didn't hesitate to close the distance.

I simply laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was solid. I closed my eyes as I listened to the steady rhythm. My mouth curved into a small smile. This was far from over, but he would survive.

"You shitty brat." I said in an almost affectionate way.

I felt his laugh rumble through his chest. I stayed where I was for a moment longer, before I heard Mikasa move somewhere behind me. Slowly, I lifted my head off of Eren and sat on the edge of his bed. There was no way I was leaving his side now, figuratively or literally. Mikasa moved to the other side of the bed to talk to Eren.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack." She said glaring at him.

Eren sighed. She would never go easy on him.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"Just don't do that again." She was speaking in a very motherly tone.

"I won't." Was Eren's response.

He was silent for a moment, but then looked up at me.

"You look like shit." He smiled.

I ran a hand through my hair. I guess I was a bit of a mess, but I had been through quite a bit the evening before and today. The events of the day before seemed to be years away. The gang that was after me had been thwarted by the police, but there were certain to be after me again soon. Apparently leaving Eren alone wasn't going to work, so I would have to find some other way to protect him. But I pushed these thoughts aside. I could worry about everything later.

"You look pretty bad, too." I retorted half-heartedly.

He smiled again. He really had a nice smile, which I didn't remember seeing often. I smiled back. Now that I knew he would survive, the exhaustion from stress was catching up with me. But I could sleep peacefully now. I pulled a chair over and put my head on his pillow.

"Goodnight." I told him before drifting off.


End file.
